


me to you

by 214jae



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Attempt at Humor, Confessions, Cute, Fluff, M/M, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 13:26:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18801250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/214jae/pseuds/214jae
Summary: in which mark confesses to his longtime crush through the literary section of his school's paper with the help from his editor-in-chief, taeyong.





	me to you

**Author's Note:**

> i can't really write anything fluff/cute/soft properly unless it gets corny so this one... an epic fail. also the jaeyong in this is really strong, i couldn't bear excluding them, so they're not really a "side" ship. the prose poem in this fic is what mark really wrote, it's in third person, no changes at all. the poem read by [redacted] in the fic is what was also published on scepter

It's Mark's second year of working for his school's newspaper, The Scepter, and also his second year of crushing on the point guard of his school's basketball team.

Mark sighs as he levels his glasses with his index finger, mouse arrow ghosting over the file from the desktop as he pretends that his heart isn't thundering against his chest. It should be easy, he's the Literary editor after all, and it's not the first time he's reading his works out loud to the entire organization.

But this one seems a bit personal, a piece he was inspired to write three months ago as he watched his crush grin from ear to ear because they won a game against another school. He watched his editor-in-chief rush to his boyfriend, the team captain, as they hug each other tightly and share knowing smiles only they know the meaning it lied beneath. He rushed to the library then, writing word after word that shows his admiration for the point guard, easing the jealousy magnifying against his chest because they'll never be the relationship his chief has.

He glances at the entire room, some of his writers are glued on the computer anticipating their editor's work, some of them are writing on their notepads for last minute articles that their editors will surely scold them for. Mark stands behind the computer that's connected to all the systems, meaning what he sees on his monitor is also what everyone else will witness unless he chickens out and decides he won't publish what he wrote for the Literary section anymore.

"It's uh, uhm, prose poetry. I heard no one's ever made prose for Scepter, and it's also my first time writing one so if you ever have any opinions, objections about this being published, you can always tell me."

His editor-in-chief, Taeyong, stands beside him and pats his back. Mark glances at him as he smiles, "go on."

Letting out a shaky breath, he clicks on the file.

_you.docx_

After Mark read his poem out loud, he made sure not to scroll down at the very end to avoid having his crush's name seen. He pretends he didn't hear Taeyong snicker from beside him and he ignores Ten, their sports editor, who asked if the inspiration for the piece is from the basketball or volleyball team because of the mention of bleachers.

Taeyong has known about his crush on Lucas for a few months now, Mark thinks he deserved to know because Taeyong introduced Lucas to him from one of the games. Ever since then, they always accompany each other for each basketball game, not missing one because Mark wants to see his inspiration in writing and Taeyong just wants nothing but to cheer for his boyfriend, Jaehyun.

-

A month after all the numerous meetings, proofreading of articles written by neophyte writers, choosing photographs and cartoons to print on the paper, The Scepter's fifteenth issue is ready to be distributed to the entire school.

Mr. Moon, their journalism advisor, smiles as the printing staff enters the room and gently places the stack of freshly printed papers on his table. All the editors are present and they are called one by one, each one assigned to which class they should distribute the stack of papers in.

"There's a basketball match today." Mr. Moon informs as he hands Taeyong his batch. "You can distribute these to them, and then the other batch," he hands him another stack, "to your class."

Taeyong nods and smiles as he tightens his grip on the papers, leaving the room with a bounce in his steps. Taeyong enters the court, the sound of shoes squeaking against the concrete pierces his ears as he takes a seat on the first row.

Jaehyun and Lucas laugh together as they take turns shooting the ball with the other players. Jaehyun whips his head around, his smile growing bigger as soon as he catches his boyfriend's eyes watching him. He excuses himself from everyone, their coach deciding to let everyone else take a break.

Jaehyun jogs his way to Taeyong, the older standing up to meet him halfway.

"Hey, baby. You're here early? The game starts in two more hours, can't wait to see me?" Jaehyun laughs as he cups Taeyong's face with his hands.

"No, in fact, I don't want to see you ever again." Taeyong jokes, and Jaehyun leans in to place a kiss on his lips.

"My favorite writer's papers already came out?" asked Jaehyun, his eyes pointing to the stack in Taeyong's arms. The older nods as he tries to look behind Jaehyun, looking for any signs of Lucas, then back to Jaehyun again. He wants to help Mark at least. Poor boy, it's always been hard for Taeyong to stomach thinking about how long it has been since Mark started staring at Lucas with love sparkling from his eyes.

Mark's poem for Lucas is just a step to get the latter to know about what Mark feels for him, and another step from Taeyong that should get them out on a date before the day ends.

"Yeah, can you make sure Lucas reads the Literary section before the game?"

Confusion washes over Jaehyun's face as he silently questions his boyfriend's intentions.

"Hyung!" Lucas calls, jogging over to the couple with a smile on his face. It seems this boy never runs out of energy to smile, it's a good thing, Taeyong thinks, Mark's the same. And both of them have weird contagious laughs, but Taeyong's not one to judge, he still remembers when Jaehyun made fun of him for sounding like he's running out of breath when he laughs.

Jaehyun discards his hands from Taeyong's face then, falling on his sides as they both face the tall boy.

"Can we save the PDA after the game?" Lucas laughs and Jaehyun chuckles lightly, asking him if he came just to bother the both of them.

Taeyong interrupts them when he hands a copy to Lucas, "make sure to read the Literary section, yeah?"

Lucas's fingers flit against the papers, scanning a few pages with his eyes. "What about the Literary section, hyung?" He closes the newspaper altogether.

Taeyong smiles. "Nothing much, just that it's Mark's first year as the Literary editor and he did a really great job. I just want many people to appreciate his hard work." _And so you could appreciate what he wrote for you too._

"Oh, Mark?" The way Lucas's eyes practically shined and widened would make Taeyong think the former feels the same for Mark, if only he knew better.

"I know Mark! I like Mark, hyung! Is he coming to the game?"

-

The screams for the team are just as booming as Lucas remembers, but there's something about the way everyone is staring at him specifically today. He's used to being stared at of course, but not this much because usually it's Jaehyun everyone likes to watch. He just shrugs it off, maybe his popularity is just spreading around.

Lucas steals the ball from an opponent, the screams from the bleachers keep his adrenaline going as he dribbles and runs at the same time, and in the corner of his eyes he sees Jaehyun and Johnny running on both sides in case the ball gets stolen from their team again. Lucas shoots from beyond the three-point line, making the audience from his school and even the ones from the opposing team stand up, their screams roaring.

He smiles as his teammates run over to him for either a high-five or a fist bump. His height has always been an advantage to him, and shooting a three-point shot is as easy as breathing.

The three points conclude the third quarter, with them ahead by three points due to Lucas's shot.

He hears the commentator say something about how Wong seems to be inspired for today's game, he had half a mind to think of what exactly that meant and only rushes to the bleachers to get some water.

"Oh, really? That number 25 is the Lucas Wong from that poem?" A girl exclaims not so far from where he stands.

"Yeah! It's written by a writer named Mars, it's really sweet, actually. I hope he hasn't turned him down yet."

Lucas turns to Jaehyun who's screwing the cap back on his water bottle to ask him about the said poem. "Jae—"

The fourth quarter has started.

-

The school triumphs as their team wins, their smiles and laughs resonating through the court as their players chime in on a group hug in the middle of the court. The mic from the commentator's area vibrates as a finger loudly taps on it. Everyone goes quiet as the team untangles themselves from the hug, bewilderment and excitement run through Jaehyun's veins as he sees his boyfriend behind the mic.

"Most people would say they have no idea when, how, where it was when they started falling for someone. Most people would say it was love at first sight, most people would say it was nothing but a mere adulation that will dissolve once they find someone better, and then they'll label it love at first sight again." Taeyong reads from one of the newspapers, occasionally glancing on the audience who is now watching him with hawk-eyed scrutiny. Jaehyun fights his want to jump from where he's standing, is his boyfriend really confessing to him right now out of all places?

Taeyong doesn't see Mark looking from where he's seated in the bleachers, eyes wide and mouth gaping. He can't believe what his hyung was doing.

"To him, an aspiring writer lost in his own world who felt as if he's found his salvation when he found you, it feels everything." Taeyong smiles as he scans the poem. Mark really put his all into this, not only the poem, but to the entire Literary section. Of course, there were other good writers from Mark's team too, but Mark was the Literary editor for a reason.

Jaehyun smiles behind his fist as Lucas playfully punches his arm. "Hyung, you're so lucky!" He laughs. He nods knowingly, eyes not leaving the petite figure of his love. When did his boyfriend get so corny?

"When you came over to the bleachers to say hi to him because you were both introduced to each other, your dazzling smile and how warm your palm felt against his shouldn't have given him expectations. False hopes. Imaginations that go beyond what destiny has to genuinely give. He knew you, and he knows you know his name, and even then he was entirely sure you didn't know him at all. Because you never looked at him the same way he did whenever you'd grace the hallway with your glorious strides and bright personality." Confusion rains on Jaehyun as he listens to each and every word. What the hell is his boyfriend saying now? They first met when Jaehyun enrolled into the school for freshman year, and Taeyong was kind enough to help him and say yes when he asked him out on a date.

Meanwhile it's taking Mark everything not to run to where Taeyong was just to stop him, but that would blow his cover as _Mars_ , and he didn't want that. Not when Lucas is listening word for word too, it's not as safe as he thinks.

"You aren't hard to reach, no matter how tall you are. You're not similar to the other dunces he had met before. You are different. Did he conclude this when he saw you petting a stray cat near school grounds? No doubt, yes. It was hard imagining himself not falling for you even deeper, so he freed himself from such boundaries and decided to feel everything because he deserves at least that much."

If anything, between Jaehyun and Taeyong, it would be Taeyong who'd pet a stray cat whether it be around school grounds or on a three lane highway. Jaehyun's arms fall limp beside him as his mind runs through different reasons why his boyfriend was reading something like this. And to whom because what the heck, is his boyfriend really confessing his feelings to someone who's not him and in front of him?

"He has so much more to say, so much love to give, but everytime he'd sit back and think of the repercussions, he thinks it's just better if he watches you be happy from the bleachers." Taeyong pauses for a moment as his eyes scan the crowd, his eyes falling on Mark. He smiles at him and mouths, "you'll be fine."

"Love is divine, he believes. A gift solely for humans, to help them heal, to help them realize. Love is kindness, he believes. Forgiving when humans aren't, an angel personified of the demons beneath your heart. Love is a spirit freed from darkness. To help you see the light, to wash away your sorrows and gratify your heart." Taeyong looks up from the newspaper to the person beside Jaehyun, and Jaehyun is fuming, what was that all about?

There's a reassuring smile on Taeyong's face as he closes the newspaper, and he speaks while keeping eye contact with Lucas's hesitant eyes.

"You are love, he believes. Will it always be you, Lucas Wong? We'll see about that." Once again, the crowd roars, but not because of the game, but because of the love and adornment the poem held. Some were dramatic enough to place their hands on their chest, the words touching their hearts literally.

Jaehyun's ears are of crimson the moment Taeyong laid his eyes on him, and the latter laughs, that's exactly how his baby looks like when he's jealous so he turns to the mic again.

"I just want to clarify, that poem wasn't written by me, nor was it my confession to Lucas. It was someone else's, someone very cowardly, someone who looks at Lucas like he hung the stars up in the sky. I wanted to read it out loud because I know my boyfriend forgot to tell Lucas to go through the Literary section before the game. And also," Taeyong stares back at Jaehyun.

"I only love you, Jae." A blush springs upon Jaehyun's cheeks.

The audience coos from the statement. Taeyong smirks, "you guys wanna know who Mars is?"

Everyone shouts yes in unison. "Lucas, who do you have an idea who?"

The subject of the piece has been standing in complete astonishment the moment he heard his name escape Taeyong's lips. The crowd waits in anticipation, he hears someone shout _don't turn him down_ as he racks his brain for anyone who could possibly write that for him.

Who?

The beating of Mark's heart expands to his head, and his whole body feels weird as he contemplates his future actions. _But you know what, fuck it._

He stands up from his seat, his action not drawing the attention he expected because everyone else is already standing. He wasn't that tall either that people would immediately notice him.

"It's me." Now that draws attention. The students from his row stare at him in shock, and it was as if it was a domino effect because everyone else started giving him the same look. He didn't care, he doesn't at all, he only cares about what Lucas would think as he wills himself to look at the latter.

Lucas looks at Mark horrifyingly as he whispers the latter's name because really, when did Mark harbor a crush on him, he doesn't know. They've talked a few times before because of Jaehyun and Taeyong, and not once did he show any symptoms of infatuation. Mark licks his lips, he nods, Lucas's expression is enough for him, and he exits the court because he couldn't take it anymore.

Taeyong walks over to Jaehyun with a playful smile, but the younger only greets him with a pout. "You scared me, Yong. You really did." He wraps his arms around Taeyong's waist as Taeyong does the same around his neck.

"Congrats on the game, hotshot." Taeyong pecks his lips, the smell of mint hitting his nostrils when he pulls away. "You're not coming after Mark?"

"No. He's mature enough to know what to do. You're not coming after Lucas either."

Lucas rushed after Mark when he left the court without much of a goodbye to Jaehyun, but Jaehyun understood. It was a shock to him too, having known that Mark likes Lucas.

Jaehyun brushes his nose against Taeyong's, the older's eyes crinkling from the contact. "You wrote poems for me too, right?"

"Hm. Still do, sometimes, why?"

"Can you read them for me while I hit it from the back?" Taeyong pinches the skin on the back of Jaehyun's neck with his nails, making the younger yelp in pain.

He grits his teeth, eyes splitting. "You're not hitting anything, Jung."

-

He was fine. He was okay. He was alright just having to look at Lucas from the sidelines, writing him countless poems he'd never get to show the other.

Taeyong's right. He's a coward, carved in big fat letters. Why is he even feeling this way? It's just a crush, it'll wash away soon like how the waves of the sea wash away the sand from the corners of his feet. So why is he feeling like this?

"Mark, hey." The said man halts his steps.

_No, please, leave me alone. I can't bear to see you if you're just going to reject me, tell me I don't stand a chance with you, tell me you like girls instead._

He didn't register saying it out loud until he hears Lucas chuckle.

"No, Mark, can you please face me?" Mark turns around dramatically, eyes glued on the floor as Lucas closes the distance between them, towering over him.

"I was going to ask if you've written poems for me before too. You seem really good at it, Mark. Seeing how you called love a gift solely for humans. Maybe you could read them to me while we're out for coffee."

Lucas is beaming at him when he looks up.

Here's the thing, Mark didn't expect this, but his expectations were too low and he underestimated the future and himself too much.

So much for someone who wrote how love is divine.

There's a tight smile playing on his lips as he says, "sure. I like smoothies better than coffee though."

**Author's Note:**

> note how mark uses a pen name :) thanks for reading lol maybe i'll just stick to writing smut fics in the future  
> kudos n comments are appreciated hehe  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/huangszn)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/25th)


End file.
